"Assistant Professor of Forest Soil Health"

Assistant Professor of Forest Soil Health

Company: Virginia Tech

Job Location: Blacksburg, 24061

Category: Plant and Soil Science

Type: Full-Time

Job Description

The Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech invites applicants for the position of Assistant Professor of Forest Soil Health. This is a full-time, tenure-track, 9-month appointment with primary responsibilities in research (50%) and teaching (50%). Virginia Tech is committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment where all people can succeed and thrive.

The successful candidate will lead a vibrant, externally funded research program that is recognized for scientific excellence, serve as an effective mentor to graduate and undergraduate students, and provide high-quality instruction. Course contributions will be defined during the hiring process with the candidate's input, but expectations include contributing to the department's undergraduate majors and a graduate course in the candidate's area of expertise. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are necessary; international engagement and recognition are encouraged and expected as the candidate's career advances. The incumbent will be expected to engage in service to their profession as well as to the department, college, and university.

Virginia Tech is committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment where individuals from all backgrounds and life experiences can succeed and thrive. We encourage applications from those whose unique perspectives, experiences, and ideas will enhance our vibrant academic community, which is dedicated to innovation, discovery, and the advancement of knowledge.

About the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation:

The Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation is a high-performing group of approximately 45 faculty and 12 administrative and research staff. The department has a strong culture of interdisciplinary collaboration around foundational research in forest, natural resource, and social sciences. The department's academic programs house roughly 400 undergraduates in five majors and 60 graduate students. The department benefits from strong relationships with stakeholders and agency personnel, as well as longstanding leadership in forest industry cooperatives such as the Forest Productivity Cooperative, the Forest Modeling and Research Cooperative, and the Forest Operations and Business Research Cooperative.

About the College of Natural Resources and Environment:

CNRE is one of nine academic colleges at Virginia Tech and has four academic departments covering a range of interests and disciplines: Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Geography, and Sustainable Bio-materials. The college employs more than 300 faculty and staff, including 83 tenure-track faculty. Approximately 1,000 undergraduate students in 11 majors and 200 graduate students in traditional master's and doctoral programs are enrolled in the college at the Blacksburg campus. An additional 200 graduate students are pursuing professional master's degrees in the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability. The college is a national leader in the natural resources fields, one of the top five producers of graduates nationally, and had expenditures of approximately $24 million in research during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Required Qualifications

• A PhD or equivalent at the time of appointment in a discipline closely related to forest soil health.

Preferred Qualifications

• A record of scholarship and peer-reviewed publications in forest rhizosphere biology with applicability to managed forests.
• Demonstrated potential to acquire research funding to develop a discipline-leading research program and support graduate students.
• Demonstrated potential to develop a research program in forest soil health that emphasizes biological aspects of the forest rhizosphere. Possible research areas include, but are not limited to, forest mycorrhizal ecology, rhizosphere processes related to forest productivity, microbial community dynamics, microbial networks, microbial functional trait analysis, and/or soil microbiome/metagenomics.
• Demonstrated potential for effective teaching and mentoring.

Required Application Materials

Resume/curriculum vitae;

Cover letter expressing a statement of interest in the position (not to exceed one page);

Statement of teaching and mentoring philosophy relevant to the position (not to exceed two pages);

Statement of research plans and vision for achieving programmatic excellence (not to exceed two pages); and

List of names, titles, and complete contact information for three references.

Overtime Status: Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type: Regular

Salary Information: $90,000

Hours per week: 40

Review Date: Review will begin on September 15 and continue until the position is filled.

Additional Information:

Contact Information: Inquiries can be directed to the search committee chair, Professor Jason Holliday (jah1@vt.edu, 540-231-7267).

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.